The first summons issued electronically by the clerk in the District of Utah has been returned. The header of the summons shows that it was docketed as issued on January 7th, and then docketed after service on January 14th.

Under the new program, counsel may email summons to the court, which will affix a signature and seal and then return the summons to the attorney for service. The summons and return of service may then be electronically filed. Because of privacy concerns in cases involving individuals, the summons and return are restricted documents, not available through CM/ECF.

The most recent in many articles praising the productivity increases from large screen or dual monitors appeared in yesterday's New York Times. Farhad Manjoo says that his "experience confirmed [that] having a lot of screen space significantly raised my productivity." He says:

A host of studies by specialists in human-computer interaction suggest that combining two displays, or using a single huge monitor, can significantly enhance your productivity. The theory is simply that the bigger your monitor, the more of your work you’ll be able to see and the more you’ll be moved to do.In a study commissioned by the electronics company NEC, researchers at the University of Utah recently asked office workers to perform several common tasks using various monitor configurations. They found that people who used two 20-inch monitors were 44 percent more productive at certain text-editing operations than people using a single 18-inch monitor.

As of today, attorneys no longer need to come to the courthouse with paper to have a summons issued. This notice was sent to all members of the court's bar today.

Notice From the Clerk of CourtAttorneys may request that the clerk of court issue summons in civil cases electronically. Instead of issuing a summons in paper, the clerk may issue a summons, prepared by counsel and emailed to the court in PDF. The court will then electronically sign and seal the summons, and return it, via NEF (emailed Notice of Electronic Filing) to counsel for service. More information is available on the court's website at http://www.utd.uscourts.gov/cmecf/elec_summons_atty.pdf.D. Mark Jones, ClerkUnited States District Court for the District of Utah